


In the time of darkness, a light will appear.

by tenshoseok



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Amnesiac Link (Legend of Zelda), Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Hyrule - Freeform, Kinda, Link (Legend of Zelda) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Link (Legend of Zelda) Has a Potty Mouth, Link (Legend of Zelda) is a Dork, Link doesn't have the Master Sword, Memory Loss, Mipha and Revali aren't technically dead, Mipha's Grace (Legend of Zelda), Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Not Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Revali (Legend of Zelda) Being an Asshole, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), The Great Calamity (Legend of Zelda), Zelda is Done, Zelda just needs a fucking hug, its not selective he can't remember how to fucking speak, listen, this is a train wreck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29549922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenshoseok/pseuds/tenshoseok
Summary: Zelda did her best- she ignored the rumours at first, fighting off Calamity Ganon on her own- but it gets too much at some point, a line is crossed. So she gave up, disappeared.When Link wakes up 100 years later he's left alone in a land of ruin and destruction- well he's not alone perse, he does have companions, but it's easy to feel alone when your companions are an asshole Rito, a too nice Zora and a Hylian that would throw you off the nearest cliff if she could.
Relationships: Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Link & Original Character(s), Link & Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	In the time of darkness, a light will appear.

**Author's Note:**

> hooooo this is a hot mess. i came up with it last night, wrote a thousand words for it, and here you have it. what is technically what would have happened in botw if it hadn't been a video game... technically. have fun!!! i guess. hm. also this is totally unedited as its like 5am so.... yah.

When the champions fell, their spirits trapped inside the vessels they once trusted- the vessels they gave their lives to protect- all hope was lost for Hyrule; for what use was a Princess with no powers and a Knight she did not trust; what use was a sword that held no magic and a mark that did nothing; _what use was a Goddess that didn’t protect them._

Rumours spread the day the Calamity hit; they spread before and after as well. A useless Knight that had to be protected and a weak Princess that couldn’t protect them all. They spread faster than the age of Calamity did, faster than they could be stopped- the people in Hateno Village, Zora Domain, Rito Village- anywhere and everywhere heard of the failures brought about by the Royal Family. Daughters, sons, champions- all lost because they didn’t prepare; lost because of a false prophet. Rumours don’t disappear, however, rumours like this are passed down for generations, “ _It was the Princess and her Knight that killed your sister._ “ “ _Our best warrior… dead, and for what? A false prophet._ “ “ _Perhaps if the Princess’ Knight hadn’t been a man…_ “ “ _He didn’t get the honourable death he deserved, all for some Hylians._ “ 

There were the few that mourned the Princess- forever trapped fighting against a force she couldn’t possibly beat, waiting for a hero that would never appear- even fewer mourned the Knight, for at the end of the day… was it not all his fault? Was it not his inability to protect that got them all killed? If you asked, most would say yes. 

So tell me: _would you protect a world that did not want you?_

  
  
  


When he wakes it is to silence. The only sounds he can hear are the birds outside, perhaps a rushing river somewhere in the distance; he doesn’t, however, hear a voice- nor does he see anyone around- not that he’d recognize them if there were someone here. Link sits up, shaking the water out of his soaking wet hair; his vision is blurry, and it takes a minute for his sight to readjust; his ears are filled with water but frankly, the silence is already unnerving, the last thing he needs it to hear it better. 

The floor is cold underneath his feet when he finally swings his legs over the side of the small bath- is it a bath? He’s not sure, he can’t quite remember; he moves his legs slowly at first, hoping that he’s not going to fall on his face the second he tries to walk; he finds, however, that after a few steps- he has not forgotten how to walk. He walks forwards, towards… towards something, somewhere; the door seems to be closed in front of him and the only thing he can think is that there must be some other way out. 

It takes him about ten minutes, perhaps more, but eventually, he finds a hole in the side of the wall- he tries to squeeze through it, hoping his small body will fit through it, alas, it does not. He tries climbing the walls but runs out of stamina before he even reaches the ceiling; he kicks the door a couple of times, he simply gets a stubbed toe; then he goes for the bath… pedestal thing, hoping that will hold the answers- this, unfortunately, just gives him a bruised head. He sits down with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest; he blows a spare strand of hair out his face, realizing how incredibly cold he currently is.

When he opens his mouth to speak- no words come out. He tries again, confused- again, nothing comes out but a distresses croak; Link starts scratching at his throat, becoming more and more panicked, _because he can’t remember how to speak._ His breathing picks up, and his vision is blurring slightly, his hands are trembling and there are tears coming from his eyes and he’s cold and alone and lost and confused and _all he can remember is his name-_

 _Link, you have to breathe._

Now he’s hearing voices, voices that he knows aren’t there, because he’s alone. He rubs furiously at his eyes but the tears won‘t stop coming.

**_And they call you a hero- stop crying will you?_ **

His head snaps up then because that is a different voice from before- he startles when he sees two figures stood in front of him; no… not stood, they’re not stood, in fact, they’re floating just a few feet off the ground. One is a petite female, her mouth settled into a soft frown and her hands clutching tightly at a trident; there’s a tail on her head, sort of like Hylian hair, except… less hairy. The other is a tall male, his hand settled on his hip and a bow resting on his shoulder; he looks positively annoyed, almost like he doesn’t want to be there- his features are easier to describe and Link eventually decides the easiest way to describe him is: big bird. 

Link tries to speak, ask them who they are, why they appear vaguely familiar to him- but once more no words come out and his body flops dejectedly. He lets out a quiet sigh, now so wrapped up in his own brain once more that he doesn’t notice the female coming towards him and kneel- as much as a spirit can kneel- beside him.

_Link, you have to get out of here. Don’t fret… the Princess left her Sheikah Slate there for you._

He can’t tell her he doesn’t know what those words mean, he also can’t tell her that he has no idea who _she_ is. 

**_Hopeless. Mipha, we may as well not be here._ **

_Revali! He needs us._

Mipha and Revali, he muses, deciding that those must be their names- the small amount of information boosts his mood because he _knows_ those names, they’re names that he has stored in the back of his head. He stands up then, finding a small, random, stray piece of cloth on the floor he uses it to tie his hair up- from there he moves forward, towards the door; towards the pedestal, he hadn’t seen it before, or, more like had ignored it when he deemed it useless. He prods at the strange device on the pedestal, hearing a loud groan from behind him; this is followed by a grunt of pain. 

He picks it up and inspects it, ignoring any sounds he hears coming from behind him; he doesn’t mean to, but he’s tired and stressed- he drops the device, his hands shaking as it falls back into the slot- he lets out a small shriek when light floods the room and the door… opens?

**_So he can shriek but not speak? Wonderful. See this is why I should have been the hero._ **

_Well done, Link! You can leave now!_

**_Stop coddling him-_ **

_Revali._

Link turns around once, startling when he finds that both of them have disappeared- perhaps he truly was just… imagining things? He shakes his head and steps out of the cave that he was previously trapped in- he moves forward, his feet only getting colder as he walks; he spots some chests close by and opens them, hoping that no one will mind when he takes the clothes inside. Finally warm, and clothed, Link steps out of the cave fully. 

The world… is not what he had expected. It is dark, gloomy- filled with floating particles of ash and cinders. The grass is no longer green, the fruit on the trees have begun to mold even as they grow fresh, the birds he had previously heard singing are now huddled together for safety and the rushing river turns out to be nothing but make-believe. The ground is hot underneath his feet, not enough to burn, but just enough to be uncomfortable. He stands there for a moment, taking in the air, the way it smells, feels, the way the entire sensation feels wrong. 

**_Hyrule really went to shit huh._ **

He ignores the voice this time, starting his trek down what he assumes is the path to leave this strange place. He eventually removes his shoes, the fabric rubbing at his feet in an unbearable way- his shirt is itchy, but he makes no move to remove it. There’s not a single soul around, no one to ask for directions, no one to ask where the fuck he is- no one to offer him food nor shelter. _No one._ He reaches the edge after a while, preparing to leave he doesn’t look where he’s going, noticing that there’s no edge until it’s far too late. 

_Link!_

**_That didn’t last long._ **

Link can feel himself falling, can feel the air hitting his face as he goes over the edge and he prepares himself- until someone grabs him, yanking him back faster than it took him to fall off the side completely. He stumbles slightly as he regains his footing, nearly running into the person that helped him- not able to, however, as the person steadies him. 

“ Be careful, kid. The last thing we need is you falling over the edge. That would be bad don’t you think? “ The voice is female, and yet he doesn’t recognize it; he doesn’t know the green eyes that stare into his own- he does, however, recognizing the sword hanging on her hip. He blinks at her slowly, trying to figure out _who_ this person is and why she has _his sword._ He hears a whisper behind him.

_Is that the Master Sword?_

**_Ha! They replaced him._ **

“ They didn’t replace him, Revali of the Rito. The world just needed a temporary hero. “ She says, her eyes becoming sharp as she glares at Revali, who startles at the fact she actually spoke to him, her attention then goes back Link, “ I am Byrn. I am the current champion of the Master Sword, I will be looking after it and… “ she trails off, “ you- until you are ready to save Hyrule from the mess it has become. “

Link wants to plummet off the cliff right now. Save Hyrule? Current Champion? Until he’s ready?

“ I.. “ he forces out, the word sounding strange, foreign to him- he then put his arms together, hoping that they form a coherent shape, one the girl- Byrn- will hopefully understand, “... unders… tand. “ His throat aches when he finishes speaking, he emphasizes this by letting out a horrible series of coughs, his hand covering his mouth as he turns away from her. 

**_Don’t cough on me!_ **

_Oh, hush Revali, you’re a spirit it won’t affect you._

Link then sighs as he sees the spirits once more, somehow the knowledge that they’re real not making him feel better in the slightest. He turns back towards the girl, staring at her for a full moment before flopping onto the ground, hitting it with a small grunt; once again he crosses his arms, not looking at her when she crouches in front of him. She doesn’t say anything for a moment, her mouth pressed into a thin line, then she lets out a sigh of her own. 

“ I’m sure this is a lot to take in, the world is different from how you left it- “ 

_He doesn’t remember anything._

Mipha cuts in softly, giving both Link and Byrn what can only be a look of pity; the look deepens when Byrn lets out a groan and falls backwards onto her back, her hands covering her face in exasperation. She doesn’t say anything though, laying there in silence. 

“ How in the name of the goddess am I supposed to catch him up… “

_Slowly. Start with the towers._

Link fiddles with the hems of his borrowed pants, nearly falling over the edge when Byrn shoots upwards, a twinkle in her eyes- she grins widely and snaps her fingers. 

“ The towers! “

This, Link decides, is not going to be fun. 


End file.
